Oaks Best Philippines Baseball Group in Regular Season Finale

By Micah Rodriguez

After locking in the No. 2 Seed in the Southern Division playoffs and a Wild Card round matchup with the Academy Barons on Tuesday afternoon, the Oaks defeated Philippines Baseball Group 11–3, wrapping up a successful regular season. 

Johnny Levelis and Grant Rodriguez were catalysts in the Oaks 21st win of the summer. 

Levelis was dominant in potentially his last ever game at Pirate Park after committing to play Division I baseball at Mount St. Mary's University earlier this week. Levelis worked five strong frames, allowing two earned runs while striking out a season-high eight batters. 

Rodriguez finished the game 3-for-4 with a walk and three RBIs. It was the lefty's second three-hit game of the summer, and his first since June 13th. 

The Oaks jumped on the board in the home half of the first. Zach Nagy scampered home on a wild pitch, giving the Oaks a 1–0 lead. Philippines Baseball Group briefly knotted the score at one in the visiting half of the third, only for the Oaks to put up a crooked number in the bottom half. 

Reis lifted a sacrifice fly to deep right field to plate the Oaks' first run of the inning. The subsequent batter, Liam Wilson, ripped an RBI double down to right field to put the Oaks ahead by two, 3–1.

One batter later, James Latshaw lifted the Oaks' second sacrifice fly of the inning to right field, plating Wilson from third. Rodriguez capped off the big inning with his first RBI single of the day, and the Oaks headed into the fourth leading 5–1. 

Once again, in the top of the fifth, the Philippines Baseball Group scratched a run across against Levelis, and once again the Oaks responded with a big inning offensively. 

Rodriguez delivered his second RBI single of the game, and his counterpart up the middle defensively, Matthew Ramirez, dropped in an RBI single to center field, giving the Oaks a 7–2 lead. Nagy worked a bases-loaded walk, scoring the final run of the inning.

In the sixth, Latshaw drove in another insurance run with his second sacrifice fly of the game as the Oaks held a 9–2 lead into the seventh inning. 

Looking to keep as many pitchers available as possible for Tuesday's showdown against the Barons, the Oaks turned to position players on the mound to get through the sixth and seventh innings.

Caden Stillwell made his fourth appearance of the summer and allowed one run on three hits in his lone inning. Zach Mora followed Stillwell and delivered a 1-2-3 inning in his first work on the mound this summer. 

Matthew Sanders and Jaden Valdez worked a clean eighth and ninth inning, respectively, as the Oaks staff held the Philippines Baseball Group to eight hits and three runs in the blowout victory. 

Rodriguez walked with the bases loaded in the eighth and Tyler Antwine followed with the Oaks' third sacrifice fly of the game, putting a wrap on a very successful summer for the Oaks. 

Looking ahead to Tuesday's winner-take-all contest, Head Coach David Soliz knows it is go time for the club.

"We've been playing a lot of guys," Soliz said. "And now it's the guys that we think will help us the most on that particular day."

The Oaks finished their regular season 21–14–1. Against the Barons, the club went 3–3, winning every game at home and losing every game on the road.

"Playing at home is always nice," Soliz continued. "The day starts on a regular routine, as opposed to a bus ride. There's no travel; it's always nice to play at [Pirate Park]."

First pitch of the Wild Card round is at 4 p.m.